Leading French shipowner Louis Dreyfus Armateurs and Finnish wind propulsion technology company Norsepower have teamed up to install Norsepower rotor sail technology on a new fleet of low-emission RoRo vessels chartered to Airbus.
The Norsepower rotor sail is a modernized version of the old Flettner rotor concept. The rotor sail uses electricity to drive the cylindrical rotor on the deck to rotate actively, and then uses the wind to generate powerful thrust. The result is reduced fuel consumption, reduced emissions, and ultimately lower costs.
The new low-emission vessels, which will be used to transport aircraft components for Airbus, are each powered by six 35-meter-tall Norsepower rotor sails and two dual-fuel engines running on marine diesel and e-methanol. In addition, the shipping software will optimize the vessel's journey across the Atlantic, maximizing wind propulsion and avoiding drag caused by adverse ocean conditions.
While the International Maritime Organization has set challenging targets to enable the shipping industry to achieve net-zero emissions, wind propulsion is considered a viable element of a sustainable energy mix for seagoing vessels. We are proud to be part of the energy transition through our partnership with Norsepower to deliver innovative solutions and drive change sustainably."
The new fleet will generate fewer CO2 emissions by 2030 compared to the transatlantic route 2023. The rotor sail will be equipped with Norsepower Sentient Control, a real-time force measurement, control and savings reporting system.
This world-first tool will enable each rotor to be controlled individually to optimize efficiency by managing the complex aerodynamic interactions between the sail and the ship's hydrodynamic behavior. Impressively, the design phase involves extensive computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and wind tunnel testing to optimize the sail arrangement and design.
This fleet-wide deal is a game-changer for the entire ancillary wind propulsion industry. First of all, it is the largest transaction ever made in the mechanical sail market, and a first in the world, and it includes our new Norsepower SentientControl tool. We are proud that the first charterer to use this advanced control system is Airbus, the world's foremost aerodynamics specialist. We thank LDA and Airbus for being pioneers in the industry and look forward to our continued collaboration!